I don't know about Dawes and Kelly Hill. She legally adopted Dominique, who lived with her. To me that's beyond over training and just...weird. I don't know, I hope that someday as a parent I have boundaries. I can understand situations like Gabby living temporarily with another family to train, but living with the *coach* and allowing the coach to make legal sort of decisions is too far.

If I remember correctly, Dawes had trouble at home with her parents going through a bitter divorce, so that was why she went to live with Hill. I never knew that Hill legally adopted her. That does sound a bit weird, but if Dawes' parents were OK with that, then I see no reason to be against it. It wasn't like Hill kidnapped Dawes. Dawes' parents most likely consented to the legal adoption. In the end, the parents have the final say in what level of control a coach should have over the athlete.

In the end, the parents have the final say in what level of control a coach should have over the athlete.

But not if the coach *is* the legal guardian of the child. Divorce or no, to me that's just taking it too far. Many top level gymnasts and athletes have had difficult circumstances at home or have divorced parents. I'm not saying she's a bad coach - I'd let her coach my kids - but I have my boundaries.

A friend of mine told me that Ryan Lochte wants to be on DWTS and/or The Bachelor. I think he likes attention, just a thought. Hey overnight dates in the fantasy suite = usually equals one night stands.

A friend of mine told me that Ryan Lochte wants to be on DWTS and/or The Bachelor. I think he likes attention, just a thought. Hey overnight dates in the fantasy suite = usually equals one night stands.

Do you think my lack on coordination and fear of heights will affect my progression?

This is really all I know about fear of heights, sorry:

Acrophobia (from the Greek: ἄκρον, ákron , meaning "peak, summit, edge" and φόβος, phóbos, "fear") is an extreme or irrational fear of heights. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort that share both similar etiology and options for treatment.
Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights, especially if there is little or no protection. Those who are confident in such situations may be said to have a head for heights.
Acrophobia sufferers can experience a panic attack in a high place and become too agitated to get themselves down safely.[citation needed] Between 2 and 5 percent of the general population suffer from acrophobia, with twice as many women affected as men.
"Vertigo" is often used (incorrectly) to describe a fear of heights, but it is more accurately a spinning sensation that occurs when one is not actually spinning. It can be triggered by looking down from a high place, or by looking straight up at a high place or tall object, but this alone does not describe vertigo. True vertigo can be triggered by almost any type of movement (e.g. standing up, sitting down, walking) or change in visual perspective (e.g. squatting down, walking up or down stairs, looking out of the window of a moving car or train). Vertigo is qualified as height vertigo when referring to dizziness triggered by heights.

Traditionally, acrophobia has been attributed, like other phobias, to conditioning or a traumatic experience involving heights. Recent studies have cast doubt on this explanation; fear of falling, along with fear of loud noises, is one of the most commonly suggested inborn or non-associative fears. The newer non-association theory is that fear of heights is an evolved adaptation to a world where falls posed a significant danger. The degree of fear varies and the term phobia is reserved for those at the extreme end of the spectrum. It has been argued by researchers that fear of heights is an instinct found in many mammals, including domestic animals and human beings. Experiments using visual cliffs have shown human infants and toddlers, as well as other animals of various ages, to be reluctant in venturing onto a glass floor with a view of a few meters of apparent fall-space below it. While an innate cautiousness around heights is helpful for survival, an extreme fear can interfere with the activities of everyday life, such as climbing up a flight of stairs or a ladder or even standing on a chair.
A possible contributing factor is dysfunction in maintaining balance. In this case the anxiety is both well founded and secondary. The human balance system integrates proprioceptive, vestibular and nearby visual cues to reckon position and motion. As height increases, visual cues recede and balance becomes poorer even in normal people. However, most people respond by shifting to more reliance on the proprioceptive and vestibular branches of the equilibrium system.
An acrophobic, on the other hand, continues to over-rely on visual signals whether because of inadequate vestibular function or incorrect strategy. Locomotion at a high elevation requires more than normal visual processing. The visual cortex becomes overloaded resulting in confusion. Some proponents of the alternative view of acrophobia warn that it may be ill-advised to encourage acrophobics to expose themselves to height without first resolving the vestibular issues. Research is underway at several clinics.

There have been a number of promising studies into using virtual reality as a treatment for acrophobia

I really like McKayla. Aside from the fact that her talent on vault is unmatched, I found her to be very valuable to the US women's team even sitting out 3 of 4 events. Throughout the entire competition I could hear her voice. She was basically coaching and cheerleading every routine, hell every skill, for every other girl on the team. I'm betting she was also very valuable in this role for Kyla Ross, who has trained with her since age six or something like that. I believe Kyla was the youngest member and at times leading up to the Olympics showed some nerves. To have your best friend on the sideline cheering you through every skill is amazing. That sort of support is just as valuable as a high start value.

She has an Irish name and looks very Irish also. Is there any chance we can claim her?

She has an Irish name and looks very Irish also. Is there any chance we can claim her?

Use the New Zealand precedent. We've claimed rugby players on far more tenuous grounds.

__________________"Mediocrity is never so dangerous as when it is dressed up as sincerity." - Søren Kierkegaard

Ian McCulloch the U2 fan:
"Who buys U2 records anyway? It's just music for plumbers and bricklayers. Bono, what a slob. You'd think with all that climbing about he does, he'd look real fit and that. But he's real fat, y'know. Reminds me of a soddin' mountain goat."
"And as for Bono, he needs a colostomy bag for his mouth."

She has an Irish name and looks very Irish also. Is there any chance we can claim her?

Are you like Great Britain where you let gymnasts come from the USA and become citizens to compete on your team? That has happened a few times, a gymnast that might be top 25 in the USA but not top 12 (national team) goes across the pond and is instantly top 3 and guaranteed a spot competing internationally.

I was trying to watch it, but the ABC's coverage was somehow even more excruciating than Channel Nine's - it was more than I could handle, so I gave up.

__________________"Mediocrity is never so dangerous as when it is dressed up as sincerity." - Søren Kierkegaard

Ian McCulloch the U2 fan:
"Who buys U2 records anyway? It's just music for plumbers and bricklayers. Bono, what a slob. You'd think with all that climbing about he does, he'd look real fit and that. But he's real fat, y'know. Reminds me of a soddin' mountain goat."
"And as for Bono, he needs a colostomy bag for his mouth."